Hartley Botanic Sees Increase in Homeowners Wanting To ‘Grow Their Own’

British Historic Glasshouse and Greenhouse manufacturer Hartley Botanic is experiencing a spike in enquiries for their bespoke greenhouses from customers seeking to embrace the good life.

Although much of the headlines have centred around doom and gloom for the economy due to the lockdown, there have been some distinct rays of light. Flour manufacturers, baking, medical and cleaning equipment suppliers, on-demand services, virtual classes have all seen a massive spike in demand. And, it seems we can now we can add greenhouses to that list.

Lancashire-based Historic Glasshouse and Greenhouse manufacturer Hartley Botanic is experiencing a renewed demand from homeowners in their beautiful, handmade Greenhouses during the lockdown. This has been put down to customers wanting to embrace the good life. People up and down the country realise the importance of being self-sufficient and are excited to embrace the ‘growing your own’ culture. Reaffirming this, customers have been telling Hartley Botanic, they ‘never want to be caught out like this again.’

The spike in demand did take Hartley Botanic somewhat by surprise, and they needed to quickly adapt the way they work to address this. To help speed up the planning of customer orders and to prevent a backlog once production restarted, they’ve introduced ‘virtual home visits’. This new service allows the Greenhouse experts at Hartley Botanic to view homeowners’ gardens remotely – providing advice on Greenhouse location and important considerations when it comes to installation and maintenance.

Over the past couple of months, many companies have started to embrace multiple forms of remote technology, and the signs are that given how effective it has been, this will become a major part of the way businesses work in the near future.

Before the outbreak, Hartley Botanic found that somewhere between 10 and 15 per cent of customers cited growing their own as the primary reason for buying a Glasshouse of Greenhouse, but since the restrictions came into force, this has increased substantially. Also, many Hartley Botanic customers who already own a Greenhouse, have been making use of their beautiful garden structure as an alternative space to while away the hours.

Tom Barry, MD of Hartley Botanic, said; “It is probably decades since we have seen such an interest in growing your own and becoming more self-sufficient amongst those interested in our Greenhouses. The current experience is clearly changing consumers’ thinking, approach and priorities. Being able to produce your own food taps into the most basic of human needs. Ultimately, for many people’ growing their own’ is the right choice for their own health and wellbeing, allowing them to feel more secure.”

Hartley Botanic – Where and how?

For more information about the ‘virtual home visits’, please click here.

All Glasshouses and Greenhouses are handmade, bespoke and made to order. Customers interested in purchasing a Hartley Botanic greenhouse should visit: www.hartley-botanic.co.uk or call 01457 819 155 for more information.

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